Apparatus for splicing tubes



July 25, 1950 c. E. SNYDER 2,516,602

APPARATUS FORSPLICING TUBES Filed Nov. 1, 1947 Patented July 25, 1950 UNITED STATES ATEJNT 09F APPARATUS FOR SPLICINGITUBES r Clarence. Snyder, Akron, Ohio, .assignon to -The B'. FL Goodrich- Company, New York, N. Y.,.,a.... corporation ofNew York Application November 1, 1947'; SerialiNo. 783,513:

9 Claims.

This .inventionrelatesto apparatus for splicing tube of. unvulcanized rubber or other rubber-like,

material, to cutrt-he tube/approximately to length,

and. then, to trim: and butt-splice the two. ends ofthe tube together; in av splicing press.

Heretofore.difficultieshave been experienced in the splicing-pt tubes-withthe pressesused heretofore inthat thinning of thewalLhas sometimes occurred at the splice; duetodifierencesin width and" thickness-of. the flattened tube ends at the splice and offsetof-thetube ends witheach other.

Further difficulties have .beenexperiencecl. from slippagev of the: clamped tube-endswhen pressure was applied: to -force themiinto adhesive relation to. each other. resultingdn, defective splices due. to variation of splice strength at diffenentrporr' tionsvof the-splice, and causing increased manufacturing. diificulties during: later operations. as

well ascontributingtothe-production of defective tubes. These difiiculties have, been especially presentin the manufacture oftubesof synthetic rubber and withvtubesiof, irregular wall thickness;

It is anobjectof thepresentinvention toprovide for overcoming the foregoingand other dif ficulties.

Other objects aretocprovidefirm gripping of thetube ends with. application of, relatively light.

grippingv pressure to prevent objectionable flow. ofthe materialina direction normalto the plane oftho splice, ,toprovide, supportof the tubeata position close. to. the clamping area, to support andegrip. the tubeima manner. toobtain splicing beyond the clamps.

These. and other. objects will. appear from the tionofia tubeisplicingvmachine constructed in accordance with andembo dyingthe, invention with.

thetubeendsclamped therein.

E'ig. 2 isasimilar view, .partly.-. in sectionlshowingthe cutting blades. in operation.

Fig-V 3. isia, similar view showing. the. cutting. blades raised and the clamping members. in.

smicingvpositionu Eigatisa perspectiveview. onone oithe lower clamping. jaws-..

Eig..5,.is,a sectional view taken aniline-riirof.v

Fig.-

2,. Referring: to the: dra: ings; the; numeral I'D-e designates the frame of; atube; splicing machine which is formed onitsupper. face withaguide way H on-which apaii of-carriages; l:2-,, [3;2162 slideably mounted forr movement toward; andr from; each-- other. Each carriage has; a; raclc; formed thereon which rengagesa-.;pinion- I 5; fixed's to a shaft l6 journaled:in:the--frame=andzpr0vide" ing such-movement.

A cutting block- I!) i is supported betweem the,

carriages, by the piston rod t1: of-raepressurafluida operated cylinder IBFWhereby-it-can beraised'to a level withthe clamping jaws, as seen iniFligst 1" and 2, or may be retractedi aszi. seen in; Fig: 3: for permitting thewclampingy jaws'tor be moved! to splicing position;

The cutting. head; 2.!) is supported above andbetween the carriages-12,. L3; int alignment; with: the cutting block I9. bya: piston rod 24 operated by-a" cylinder (not shown) in, averticaitdirectioni.

The lower clamping-jaws 22, 23 are-removeablyr securedtorthercarriageswt2, l-3;=respectively:while e the upper j aws; 24,- 25, which arealsorreplaceable; are adapted tobe,- raised; andlowered-.- therefrom by any suitable. mechanism; for: placing of" the tube endsandfremoval of the-spliced tube.

To provide for firmly gripping.the;tube-endsr and at thesame-time restricting movementof the. material axially of, the tube ends away from thecutting position, each of the clampingsjaws' 23,, 2t and. 2.5 is formed with a-higlr primary: clamping'portion 30,, parallel to and adjacent the line of cut, and a lower-secondary clamping portion ital-spaced therefrom away from. the; cutting position-- by a. clearance groove 32 Thehighprimary clampingportion fora firms gripping of pressure uniformly, across the width, ofthe flattened tube, and toeprevent liftingoi. the ends the: tube adjacent, thecutting. position, is; formed: withcoarse-serrations 33 extending parallel to;- the plane of the-splice and: entirely acrosswthe clamping facerengaged. by, the, tube and spaced? from-the cutting positione face of; the 'clampby; a. narrow,- land: 34 equal incheight: to: that of; the

top rot the serrations. Breferably thezgrooves are? about .027." widesandterminateiin shar -edges the grooves. each. having; sidesr at substantially 605 to. each. other The arrangement. is, such.-

that the. tube end .isfirmlyclamped at-the cutting, face entirely acrossits..widthiby tl'ianarrow lands- 3i and,the.serrations,3.3,hold the material against; flow axially, 0i thestuberaway. fromtthes splice-with:

, a minimum, ofr pressure.v due,to;-thei1: small area.

of contact" Each oi the clamp jaws- 22, 2,3,-:is' formedwith. endblocks 40, 4|. whichemtpreia erably made separately inorder to permitcma chiningpi.theiserrations.orribszaotsuchlength N as ,to. extend entirely, across. theiface of thejaw between the blocks to provide for secure clamping of the tube entirely across its width against shifting when splicing pressure is applied to the tube ends. The blocks 40, 4| are securely fastened in place to limit lateral spread of the tube ends and to guide the upper jaws.

As the clamping jaws are removable for replacement by similar jaws for splicing tubes of different sizes and therefore are not entirely free from rocking movement, secondary jaws are provided to engage the tube ends at positions more remote from the splicing position and thereby assist in preventing such rocking of the jaws under pressure and consequent nonuniform clamping.

The lower secondary clamping face 3| also clamps the tube more lightly at a position more remote from the splice, while the clearance groove 32 permits some displacement of the tube walls between the clamping surfaces 30 and 3f accommodating any displacement of air from between the tube walls at the clamping surfaces. As the serrations extend parallel to the splice or crosswise of the tube and'entirely across the same displacement is generallyaxial of the tube and little force is applied tending to spread the tube by dis placement of material after the tube is flattened to a position where its inner walls contact each other, the stop blocks 40, 4| preventing widening of the tube ends by flow of material.

' The upper clamping jaws are similarly formed with serrated primary clamping faces and sec-' ondary smooth faces separated therefrom by a groove. These jaws are of such length as to fit between the blocks 40, 4| of the lower clamping jaws and the serrations extend entirely across their primary clamping faces.

I In each of the clamping jaws 22, Z3, Z4 and 25 the secondary clamping faces are made slightly above the level of the bottoms'of the grooves of the primary clamping faces in order to compensate for the displacement of rubber by the serrations and provide equalized clamping.

When the tube ends are clamped between the jaws, there is sometimes a tendency for the extending portions of the tube ends beyond the clamps toward the tube ends to raise when clamped, as indicated at 45, 45 in Fig. 1, contribu'ting to cut ends not square with axis of the tube ends. To prevent this, the upper cutting member 26 whichhas cutting blades 47, 48 secured thereto, may be provided with a pressure plate M3 therebetween. The pressure plate is suspended on guide rods 5 from the cutting mem ber 29 and compression coil springs 5i are provided between the pressure plate and the cutting member to resiliently hold the pressure plate below the cutting blades and cause it to flatten the tube ends in advance of cutting them, clearance cavities being provided in the cutting block IQ for receiving the guide rods 50 as indicated in Fig. 1. An electric heating element 52 is provided in the cutting member "20 to heat the knives.

In the operation of thenapparatus, with the cutting member 20 elevated, the jaws 24, 25 raised, and the block H9 in raised position, the ends of the tube are placed over the jaws 22, 23 and extending slightly over the block IS. The jaws 24, 25 are then lowered upon the tube ends clamping them in place. The secondary clamping faces of the clamping jaws, engage the tube ends at positions spaced from the primary clamping faces and assist in leveling the clamping jaws so that the primary clamping faces engage the tube ends evenly throughout their extent, while the serrations firmly grip the tube ends against axial displacement during splicing. The cutting member 2i! is then lowered, the pressure plate contacting and flattening the tube ends against the block l9, and. the knives 4T, 48 trimming the tube ends. The cutting member 20 is then raised, the block 19 lowered, and the carriages l2, l3 moved toward each other to press the tube ends against each other to splice them. Jaws 24, 25 are then raised to remove the spliced tube.

Variations may be made Without departing from the scope of the invention as it is defined by the following claims.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for splicing tubes, said apparatus comprising a pair of jaws for holding an end of a tube adjacent a line of cut during a splicing operation, said jaws having marginal stops thereon for laterally aligning the tube end and serrations extending entirely across their tube clamp-, ing surfaces between said stops adjacent and par-' allel to the line of cut.

2. Apparatus for splicing tubes, said apparatus comprising a pair of jaws for holding an end of a tube adjacent a line of cut during a splicing operation, said jaws having marginal stops thereon for laterally aligning the tube end and serrations extending entirely across their tube clamping surfaces between said stops adjacent and parallel to the line of out, said serrations being spaced from the line of cut by a narrow smooth land.

3. Apparatus for splicing tubes, said apparatus comprising a pair of jaws for holding an end of a tube therebetween adjacent a line of cut during a splicing operation, said jaws each comprising a primary clamping surface adjacent the line of cut and a lower secondary clamping surface spaced therefrom in a direction awa from the line of cut.

4. Apparatus for splicing tubes, said apparatus comprising a pair of jaws for holding an end of a tube therebetween adjacent a line of cut during a splicing operation, said jaws each comprising a primary clamping surface adjacent the line of cut and a lower secondary clamping surface spaced therefrom in a direction away from the line of cut, said clamping surfaces being seppz arated by a clearance groove.

' prising a primary clamping surface adjacent the "line of cut and a lower secondary clamping surface spaced therefrom in a direction away from the line of cut, said primary clamping surface having serrations extending parallel to the line a, of cut.

6. Apparatus for splicing tubes, said apparatus comprising a pair of jaws for holding an end of a tube therebetween adjacent a line of cut during a splicing operation, said jaws each comprising a primary clamping surface adjacent the line of cut and a lower secondary clamping surface spaced therefrom in a direction away from the line of cut, said primary clamping surface having serrations extending parallel to the line of cut, said serrations being spaced from the line of cut by a narrow flat land flush with the tops of the serrations.

7. Apparatus for splicing tubes, said apparatus comprising a cutting block, a cutter head above said block for cooperation therewith and having a blade thereon at the line of cut, a spring supported pressure plate on said cutter head for straightening the tube ends in advance of cutting, and a pair of clamping jaws for holding an end of a tube therebetween adjacent the line of out, said jaws each comprising a pair of marginal stops for laterally aligning a tube end a primary clamping surface adjacent the line of out between said marginal stops and a lower secondary clamping surface spaced therefrom in a direction away from the line of cut.

8. Apparatus for splicing tubes, said apparatus comprising a cutting block, a cutter head above said block for cooperation therewith and having a blade thereon at the line of cut, a spring supported pressure plate on said cutter head for straightening the tube ends in advance of cutting, and a pair of clamping jaws for holding an end of a tube therebetween adjacent the line of cut, said jaws each comprising a pair of marginal stops for lateraly aligning a tube end a primary clamping surface adjacent the line of out :between said marginal stops and a lower secondary clamping surface spaced therefrom in a direction away from the line of cut, said primary clamping surface having serrations extending parallel to the line of cut.

9. Apparatus for splicing tubes, said apparatus comprising a cutting block, a cutter head above said block for cooperation therewith and having a blade thereon at the line of cut, a spring supported pressure plate on said cutter head for straightening the tube ends in advance of cutting, and a pair of clamping jaws having marginal stops for laterally aligning the tube end, pressure clamping surfaces therebetween for holding an end of a tube therebetween adjacent the line of cut and a lower secondary clamping surface spaced therefrom in a direction away from the line of out, said primary clamping surfaces having parallel serrations extending between said marginal stops parallel to the line of out, said serrations being spaced from the line of cut by a narrow fiat land flush with the tops of the serrations.

CLARENCE E. SNYDER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 648,976 Mourad May 8, 1900 1,392,871 Hefielfinger Oct. 4, 1921 1,851,800 Bogopolsky Mar. 29, 1932 1,976,834 Garland et al. Oct. 16, 1934 2,253,280 Lormor Aug. 19. 1941 

